Raymond Padilla

Monday Housekeeping

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates. My last day in the Philippines was exhausting. That and the 16+ hours of flying that followed it caught up to me, resulting in one of the worst colds I’ve had in years. At least, I think it was due to my last day in the Philippines. There’s a possibility that I was so bummed by the screening of GI Joe: Retaliation, that my body shut down. Travel and exhaustion are the more likely culprits.

I’ll have a few articles for you today before spending the latter half of this Monday working on a secret project. Before I get to that, I have to perform one of my annual errands. It’s the day after Easter. Do you know what the means? Groceries and drug stores will have Cadbury Creme Eggs marked down! Let’s do this.

iPotty: A Potty Trainer With an iPad Stand

My friend John posted a link to the CTA Digital iPotty. This is a potty training seat with a built in iPad stand. It’s funny and horrifying at the same time. I’m not sure why any potty-training toddler needs this. I’m also not sure why any parent would think this is a good idea. To be fair, I don’t have any kids, so what do I know…except that I wouldn’t want a toddler playing with my iPad while feces and urine are flowing.

Just to check myself, please let me know if you think the iPotty is a good idea. For you parents out there, is this something you’d buy for your kids?

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Trailer

Square Enix has released the trailer for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. Both games will be available in a single-disc set for PlayStation 3 and available individually for PlayStation Vita. The release date is a vague “in 2013.”

I’m completely psyched for an updated version of Final Fantasy X. The game worked for me on so many levels. I loved the sphere grid system, the music was outstanding, and unlike most of my gamer friends, I found Yuna to be completely adorable. (I have a thing for women with stunted speech patterns and heterochromia iridum. Sue me.) Many longtime Square fans feel that FFX was the last great Final Fantasy game and I’m sure hundreds of thousands of them, at the very least, will snatch this remix up.

While it wasn’t nearly as good as the original, I remember having fun with Final Fantasy X-2. It was a cute “girl power” adventure that used some gameplay elements of its predecessor in a more lighthearted game. It was fun in a Final-Fantasy-meets-Spice-Girls way.

Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’re planning to pick up Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.

Vaping Diaries #50: Vapecon Manila 2013

Here’s a video tour of Vapecon Manila 2013. It was awesome seeing so many cool mods, rebuildable atomizers, and e-liquids that are native to the Philippines. As a Filipino-American, I was very proud of all the awesome gear. As a vaper, it was sweet seeing how big vaping is in Manila. As a verbal entertainer, I’m looking forward to reviewing the different Filipino e-liquids and gear I picked. Stay tuned for column and pictorial on vaping in the Philippines. Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #50: Vapecon Manila 2013”

Coffee Talk #573: Do Videogame Console Mascots Matter?

Today’s column has been swimming in my head for a few weeks, but really came together after having coffee with my friend Joey this morning. For decades, mascots were a huge part of marketing videogame consoles. Nintendo has Mario. Sega, when it still made hardware, had Sonic. There have been so many changes to the nature of consoles and the nature of marketing, that many people believe that mascots are irrelevant…or at least not as important as they used to be. Let’s examine the issue together in today’s Coffee Talk (which was literally inspired by a talk I had over coffee)…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, getting a wisdom tooth removed without the benefits of laughing gas, getting a wisdom tooth removed without the benefits of vicodin, or the hazards of being a pedestrian in the Philippines, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

When consoles were simply about games and boxes, iconic characters were hugely important in establishing a machine’s identity. With online gameplay, the emphasis on non-gaming services, and the rise of first-person perspective games, mascots aren’t as powerful as they used to be. Microsoft has Master Chief from Halo, who isn’t in the same league as Mario. Many people feel that Sony has been successful despite not having a mascot. It used to be that you played a game as a character, imagining that you were adventuring as him or her. There are many games where you are the character or you control the adventure in a way that’s far more personal than in older games.

Marketing and branding has also changed so that everything is about you. Social media — a huge part of…well, everything these days — has raised the bar of the brand of you. Some of the most wonderful changes to consoles in the last decade are related to personalization, both with the hardware and the games they run. It can be argued that videogame characters and sharing adventures with videogame characters have become less important than videogame experiences catered to you.

(On a side note, the whole “Brand Called You” thing had me thinking about this Fast Company article my Ziff-Davis friends and I were over the moon about back in 1997.)

So do you videogame console mascots still matter? I would understand arguments that they don’t mean much these days. I would even understand arguments that they don’t matter at all in 2013. Naturally, I want to hear your position on the topic. Fire away in the comments section (please!).

Random Philippines Photos II

Man, getting a molar extracted under local anesthesia is…not pleasant. The entire day after the procedure was just miserable. It’s been about 36 hours since the extraction and I’m starting to feel slightly better. The good news is that I snapped a bunch of goofy photos while I was out and about. Highlights include the classiest Spam sandwich you’ll ever see, cute mall mochi, funky chalk art, an Angry Birds arcade ripoff, and people smoking cigarettes while drinking Jamba Juice. Continue reading “Random Philippines Photos II”

Random Philippines Photos I

Hey guys! Here are a bunch of pictures from my trip. Things are pretty hectic, but also fun. The work part of my trip was great and relaxing. The family part of my trip has hit some unexpected snags, but it’s super nice to see everyone. Here are some random thoughts.

– So my parents’ condo is in Bonifacio Global City. It’s a really modern town that’s full of new buildings. It also looks like America vomited on the place. If you take a 15-minute walk you’ll find Starbucks, Coffee Bean, KFC, McDonalds, Johnny Rockets, 7-Eleven, IHOP, TGI Friday’s, Krispy Kreme, and more. That’s not even counting the numerous retail stores that feature American brands. It’s like the Filipino version of the Irvine Spectrum.

– Yesterday I walked around for around seven hours. I wanted to see what was around, but I was also really tired of being in airplanes and cars. Half a kilometer from where I’m staying, things get much poorer. It was fun walking around a barrio-style neighborhood in Makati and watching the local kids play. With videogame consoles, portable electronics, and the Internet, you don’t see as many kids playing as you used to. The kids in this neighborhood had so little — many of them were playing with simple toys made from string and rocks — but they seemed so happy. One of my favorite things about traveling to third-world countries is getting some perspective.

– On another trip to another part of Manila, my brother and I watched three kids playing with a slab of concrete and a hammer. It was charming and innocent and sad all at the same time.

– For my stay in BGC, my parents rented the condo unit next to theirs. It’s owned by a very religious person. How do I know this? It’s because there are 87 pictures and/or statues of Jesus in the unit. I’m not really religious in a traditional sense, but I don’t look down on people that are religious. However, the numerous Christs in the apartment are scary.

– It looks like my cousin is going to take out one of my molars tomorrow. Yes, he’s a dentist. This was totally unplanned, but he took a quick look at my teeth and was concerned about the impacting going on. I totally appreciate that he’ll be doing this for me, but it’s totally going to throw a wrench in the filming that I had planned.

– So the night I flew from Cebu to Manila last week, my Dad checked into the hospital. Days before I went to visit my Dad in Hawaii last December, he checked into the hospital. I’m thinking of not visiting him for a while. It looks like I’m a danger to his health. Of course I know he didn’t plan on getting sick, but the a-hole in me can’t help but think that this has added a lot of stress to my last two attempts at relaxation. The non a-hole parts of me feel guilty for having those thoughts. There’s also a part of me that’s somewhat proud that I can be honest about my feelings…and also a part of me that’s unsure that I should be posting any thoughts on the matter. There seem to be a lot of parts of me. Schizophrenia?

– I’ve been posting my photos on Instagram, so feel free to follow me if you want them in real-time. I’ll post another batch of photos and more random thoughts soon. I miss you guys!

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Tuesday Housekeeping: Crazy Flights Ahead

Greetings from LAX! More specifically, greetings from the bar at the United Club in terminal six. I have a crazy two days of flying ahead of me. First it’s LAX to HNL to GUM to MNL. Then I crash for a few hours at my parents’ condo in Fort Bonifacio before the MNL to CEB flight. Also, I didn’t sleep last night. While that will definitely help me conk out on the airplane, I fear that not sleeping…wasn’t the best decision. I’m going to pay for that latera.

I’m still going to post The Adventures of R.Pad and Z.Kitty. In a way, I’m kind of glad that parts of each chapter were cut off due to a 1Up redesign. I have no idea how each chapter was supposed to end. I’m sure it’s the same deal for Zoe and the chapters she wrote. It makes the whole thing more mysterious (and probably more interesting).

I definitely want to write something about Bernard Hopkins. He’s one of the most unique athletes I’ve ever seen. Most people are impressed that he’s winning boxing fights at 48, but I’m more impressed by his devotion to and mastery of boxing craft. His rings smarts and economy of movement are ridiculous.

Well, it’s almost time to board. If my flight arrives on time, I should have a brief layover in Hawaii. Aloha.

Jim Ross Calls DeAndre Jordan Dunk

My excellent friend Brad tweeted this video yesterday and I can’t stop watching it. It’s that monstrous dunk by Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan set to a classic Jim Ross WWE call. Watch DJ throw down a Chris Paul lob for one of the most ferocious dunks of the NBA season to the classic sounds of JR calling the action for the Mankind vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match from 1998. Continue reading “Jim Ross Calls DeAndre Jordan Dunk”

Comixology & Marvel: When Free Promos Fail

At the SXSW conference, Comixology and Marvel launched an amazing promotion that served up 700 comic books for free. As expected, millions of people attempted to download those issues on the Comixology web site and through the company’s apps. As expected, the service was overloaded and rendered useless since the promotion was announced. As of this writing, I’m still unable to download comics (including ones I’ve already paid for) through the app or view them on the web site.

It was bold initiative by Comixology and Marvel — a fantastic way to attract new customers to the wonderful world of digital comics. Unfortunately, the failure showed the dangers of digital content to creators and consumers alike. Comic book publishers have been unable to sell anything during the service outage; this is particularly painful for independent creators that only publish digitally. Existing Comixology customers have been unable to buy new books or download those in their digital lockers. The aggressive promo by Comixology and Marvel to nab new customers has resulted in a total failure to serve existing ones.

Comixology CEO David Steinberger wrote a blog post about the failure and the suspension of the promotion. Here’s an excerpt:

We expected a high degree of excitement for the Marvel initiative — and had believed ourselves prepared — but unfortunately we became overwhelmed by the immense response. We’re still struggling to keep our systems up.

The result is that you aren’t getting your comics when and where you want.

We don’t like letting you down. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these issues so that you can have the experience you’ve come to expect.

Steinberger also posted a link where customers can sign up to be notified of when the promo will be active again. The link was dead for several hours after the post went up, but now appears to be working.

While I’m a huge fan of Comixology and digital media in general, this was a nice reminder of the dangers of relying on digital services. Computers crash. Servers fail. Paper, while having its own issues, is free from those problems. Having said that, this hiccup isn’t enough to make me buy physical comics again. The convenience is just fantastic. I love that I’ll have hundreds of comics on my tablet during my flight to the Philippines tomorrow. I love that I’ll be able to download new issues while I’m away.

Unfortunately, Comixology and Marvel have made digital comics look bad to new customers due to incompetence and a lack of preparation. First impressions are hugely important and this service outage has made Comixology look like chumps.